Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the real way to supercharge science teaching was reverse a $2.1 billion funding cut to universities and end the freeze on university places.

"The government's own funding freeze on universities has made that much harder to achieve," Ms Jackson said.

The Australian Education Union said making sure public schools were properly funded was the best way to get more students into specialist subjects.

"There are no shortcuts to fixing this issue," federal president Correna Haythorpe said.

Opposition education spokesperson Tanya Plibersek said Labor had been supporters of specialised teaching policies for some time.

"But how are the Liberals going to pay for it?" she tweeted on Monday.